Tandem Porter-Bass Chard 2005

Tandem, Russian River Valley, Porter-Bass Vineyard, Chardonnay 2005 With 4 years since the harvest this wine is developing some nice complexity. The nose sports wet stones, toastiness, tropical fruits, hay and lanolin. In the mouth there is a richness of texture, an unctuous quality that is counterbalanced by acidity and minerality. The wine has great depth and length – very nice.

The grapes were farmed biodynamically by Sue Porter and Dirck Bass. The wine was fermented in French oak barrels, 1/3 of which were new and the wines was subsequently treated to some aging sur lie. Winemaker Greg La Follette. P&B in Sebastopol 14.1% $42 at the winery, a gift from Greg during my visit there, written about in the Phoenix flight post of August ’08.

About Ray

Ray Johnson is the Executive Director of the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University. He writes about food and wine, his travels and the business of wine. He makes his home in Sonoma County, California.